Sudan cease-fire talks to resume in Saudi Arabia

GOOBJOOG NEWS | JEDDAH: Peace talks between the warring factions in the Sudan conflict are scheduled to resume Thursday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with a focus on securing access for humanitarian aid to reach long-suffering civilians.

According to senior U.S. State Department officials, the new round of talks will focus on ensuring unhindered humanitarian access, achieving cease-fires, and other confidence-building measures to create conditions for the safe delivery of humanitarian assistance.

The United States and Saudi Arabia have brokered multiple cease-fires between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) at talks in Jeddah since May, but fighting has continued in Khartoum and elsewhere, with each side accusing the other of cease-fire violations.

A senior US official further stated that Thursday’s talks will not tackle political matters, as both belligerents have been clearly informed that “there is no acceptable military solution to this conflict.”

Regional Intervention

At the same time, Sudan’s neighbors in the Horn of Africa are playing a role in the latest negotiations as the regional bloc IGAD, or Intergovernmental Authority on Development, will facilitate the resumed talks.

IGAD Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu, a former foreign minister of Ethiopia, will take part in the talks for the African Union.

“We’ve been in constant communication with our colleagues from IGAD, as well as the African Union. They are in agreement that relaunching Jeddah is essential,” another senior State Department official told reporters in a phone briefing.

IGAD is one of the regional economic communities recognized by the African Union. It has eight members: Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.

Additional reporting by agencies